NBA in crisis: spot-fixing and rigged poker
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28 Oct 2025 •
Reading time: 4 minutes At the start of a highly anticipated NBA season, it is not a prodigy on the court but a legal storm that is capturing the attention of the basketball world. Arrests, disturbing allegations and unprecedented questions about the integrity of the sport: the federal investigation sends shockwaves through the world of American sport.
The bombshell arrest: Rozier, Billups and Jones in turmoil
It all began on a Thursday morning, when the FBI carried out targeted arrests involving three major NBA figures: player Terry Rozier, coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones. These arrests are part of two separate but closely related federal cases — one involving spot-fixing (the targeted manipulation of specific moments in a game), the other involving rigged poker games, according to prosecutors.
Rozier is accused of passing on inside information about games to gamblers, suggesting they bet on ‘under/over’ statistics. He even allegedly faked an injury to be replaced in time to influence his personal statistics. The prosecutor also alleges that he paid an accomplice several hundred thousand dollars from his betting winnings. His defence claims that he was not a gambler. It will be up to the court to determine whether these allegations are true.
For his part, Billups faces charges in both parts of the case. He is alleged to have been involved in an illegal poker ring where players were cheated using tables equipped with X-rays and special lenses to detect marked cards. According to the prosecution, he also passed on team selection information to gamblers while he was a coach, providing valuable clues. Billups strongly denies these allegations, insisting that he never bet or passed on sensitive information.
Finally, Jones allegedly exploited his relationship with players to sell non-public data on their availability, including betting against the Lakers when he predicted that LeBron James would be absent due to injury. He is also involved in rigged poker games, in which victims have reportedly lost at least $7 million since 2019.
Between betting and technology: the methods behind the scandal
What makes this scandal particularly chilling is the technological aspect. Investigators claim that in some rigged poker games, the organisers used tables equipped with X-rays to see the cards, as well as optical lenses to spot markings invisible to the naked eye. These techniques allegedly allowed the games to be rigged in favour of the organisers. Billups and Jones are accused of using their fame to attract players to this illegal circuit.
In the case of basketball, the process seems less spectacular but just as serious: it is prop bets (bets on specific statistics) that allow influence. Revealing inside information — for example, whether a player will play or not, or whether he will undergo a fake substitution — gives a considerable advantage to those betting on it.
The ramifications: mafia, federal schemes, institutional issues
While these accusations were already enough to shake the NBA, the case takes on a darker dimension when prosecutors mention links to mafia families and organised crime networks. The constellation of suspects includes not only players and coaches, but also powerful organisations that are believed to be behind the structure of the scheme. The federal case spans 11 states, with a total of 34 arrests and an estimated tens of millions of dollars at stake.
The investigation also highlights the trouble caused by the mixing of sport and large-scale betting. Since the regulatory opening of sports betting markets, the line between integrity and abuse has become blurred — a loophole that compulsive gamblers exploit. For the NBA, this raises the question of controlling prop bets, monitoring communications and ensuring the impartiality of referees and players. This is a necessary step if the league wants to preserve its credibility.
This scandal is not unprecedented. In 2023, player Jontay Porter was banned for life after admitting to manipulating his betting statistics. Some of the betting accounts used in the Porter case are believed to be linked to the same schemes as those used by Rozier.
Consequences and possible scenarios
In the immediate term, the NBA has taken drastic measures. Rozier and Billups have been suspended by the league and faced with restrictive conditions, including surrender of their passports and bans on travel and betting activities. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, each count carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Their defence promises a legal battle: Billups claims he never bet or disclosed sensitive information.
But beyond the protagonists, it is the league’s reputation that is at stake. For many observers, the case reveals systemic flaws: how to monitor prop bets, how to manage illegal influences, how to ensure ethical compliance when betting is omnipresent?
If legal convictions are handed down, sporting sanctions will be added: lifetime suspensions, withdrawal of titles, and bans from league facilities. For fans, the shock is also moral: the certainty of a game played on a level playing field is wavering.